CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: SEIZING THE MOMENT

Sosuke’s senses jolted awake!

In the dead of night, amidst a torrential downpour, these sudden footsteps—were they human or demon?

He took a soft breath and reached for the Sword-in-Hammer.

Just as he was about to rise, a hand suddenly gripped his wrist.

Turning, he saw Shinobu watching him, her head peeking out from beneath her haori. She seemed to have been startled awake by the footsteps.

"What are you going to do?" she whispered.

"Check the situation," Tetsu no Sosuke replied. "If it’s a person, I’ll invite them in to take shelter from the rain. If it’s a demon... I’ll grab you and run."

Shinobu paused, then ducked her head back under the haori.

Sosuke turned around. The footsteps had reached the cave entrance!

There was no time left to observe the situation. He immediately focused his mind, preparing to face whatever came with calm resolve.

The next moment, a massive head suddenly loomed into the cave.

Crimson eyes, devoid of reason, glared from beneath a broken horn on its right temple. Its jaws opened, revealing rows of fangs as it let out a low, guttural roar.

"What kind of demon is this?"

Sosuke was momentarily stunned. ’it’s head is enormous!’

The cave entrance, easily wide enough for two people to pass through, was nearly filled by the creature’s massive head.

The worst-case scenario had come to pass: the blocked cave entrance offered Sosuke no escape route whatsoever.

’What now?’

His mind raced as he regulated his breathing. In the next instant, the Sword-in-Hammer swung out.

It wasn’t Gale Sun!

Considering the cave’s cramped space, Gale Sun couldn’t be fully unleashed. Instead, he used Sun Breathing—Second Form: Straight-Forged Heaven and Earth!

The name for the Second Form had only recently been finalized. In forging, this strike was meant to shape weapons, gradually molding the yin and yang of heaven and earth with each hammer blow.

In combat, it was a devastatingly powerful strike.

With these considerations in mind, the name "Straight-Forged Heaven and Earth" had naturally emerged!

Sosuke abruptly stepped forward, his foot slamming into the ground with a thunderous boom as he assumed a bow stance.

Sosuke’s Sun Breathing surged, pale steam escaping from the corners of his mouth. Gripping his Sword-in-Hammer, he swung it with explosive force.

A deafening boom echoed as the massive Demon’s head, which had just peeked into the cave to see what tasty morsels lay within, was met with the full force of the hammer.

The hammer struck squarely on its nose bridge, sending tears streaming from its eyes. With a howl of agony, the Demon recoiled, vanishing from the cave entrance in an instant.

Sosuke felt the Sword-in-Hammer tremble violently in his grip.

This colossal creature possessed a hardness beyond his wildest imagination.

If Shinobu were healthy, she might have been able to defeat it with her Nichirin Blade. But with her gravely ill and his own fighting style relying on brute force, it was clear this Demon was also a master of direct confrontation.

Fighting strength against strength would be too costly, and he couldn’t guarantee victory. If he lost, Shinobu, in her current condition, would surely die.

"We have to go!" he shouted urgently.

Turning to carry Shinobu on his back, he suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him from behind.

As soon as he turned, a massive hand loomed before him.

The hand seized Sosuke in a powerful grip, and in the next instant, he found himself yanked out of the cave.

A colossal head with crimson eyes burning with madness, yet strangely brimming with tears, materialized before him.

The Demon opened its massive maw, preparing to devour Sosuke.

Sosuke gasped for air, nearly vomiting. The stench emanating from the Demon’s mouth was a mortal enemy of his Breathing Technique!

Suppressing the urge to vomit, he channeled his full strength. His natural physical attributes were already extraordinary, and when amplified by his Breathing Technique, even ordinary Demons would pale in comparison to his raw power.

Yet this colossal behemoth before him was already at the peak of its strength.

In their initial clash of strength, neither could gain the upper hand.

As the Demon tightened its grip, attempting to shove him into its maw, even Sosuke felt a moment of panic.

’If I die here, my life will have been a tragic waste.’

First, not dying in Kanae’s arms would be an incomplete end.

Secondly, Shinobu was still behind him. If he failed to protect her, it would be an even greater defeat.

Resentment churned within him, and a surge of heat rushed to his head, as if something was about to explode. But just then, a figure flashed before his eyes.

The girl, clad in black, materialized with a massive "Annihilation" character floating behind her. In a blur, the Demon let out a bloodcurdling scream. A massive gash, dripping crimson, appeared diagonally across its grotesque face, from the upper left to the lower right.

Writhing in pain, the Demon flung Sosuke aside.

Fortunately, his recent training hadn’t been in vain. Even mid-air, Sosuke managed a swift flip and landed with a thunderous crash.

Looking ahead, he saw the girl who had moments ago displayed such divine power now lying heavily on the ground.

Sosuke rushed to her side, helping her up as the rain resumed its relentless downpour.

Her face was deathly pale, her lips frozen purple, yet she forced herself to speak, her voice strained: "He’ll weaken... now’s our chance..."

"I understand!"

Sosuke nodded immediately, grabbed his hammer, and charged forward.

Shinobu stared in disbelief. She had meant to tell him to escape while they still could... How had he misunderstood and charged at the Demon instead?

Forcing herself to focus, she turned to watch.

How could Sosuke have known what Shinobu Kocho meant?

Even if he had, he couldn’t possibly retreat now!

In just two strides, he was face-to-face with the Demon.

The creature’s massive frame was indeed imposing, but its proportions were strangely distorted.

Standing well over two meters tall, it had an enormous head perched atop a thick neck, long, muscular arms, and disproportionately short legs.

Now, due to the potent poison in Shinobu’s blade, the Demon’s face was rapidly dissolving, twisting, and melting into an abstract horror.

Piercing, agonized screams echoed through the air.

Without hesitation, Sosuke took a deep breath, channeling the Sun Breathing technique, and leaped into the air.

Sun Breathing—First Form: Gale Sun!

The Gale Sun Hammer crashed down with earth-shattering force, a sky-filling strike.

The Demon immediately raised its arms to shield its head, the hammer blows pounding relentlessly against its forearms.

At first, it managed to withstand the assault, but moments later, whether due to the poison’s effects or the cumulative power of Sosuke’s Gale Sun Hammer, the Demon’s defenses began to crumble.

The sound of bones shattering echoed as Sosuke’s arms collapsed, his powerful muscles twisting and deforming. Blood erupted, mingling with the rain.